Avicularia juruensis

🔤 Taxonomy

Avicularia juruensis is the currently accepted scientific name. The 2017 revision of Avicularia treated Avicularia urticans as a synonym of this species, but also noted that some material once called A. juruensis was misidentified and may belong elsewhere. Hobby labels such as “M2” or “Peru purple” should therefore be kept with clear line information.

Older names and combinations associated with this species include:

• Avicularia urticans

English common names used in the hobby:

• Yellow-banded pinktoe
• Peruvian pinktoe
• Peru purple pinktoe for some hobby lines

📌 Description

Avicularia juruensis is an arboreal New World tarantula from western Amazonian South America. It has the pinktoe body plan: a vertical web retreat, strong climbing ability, and a tendency to retreat or bolt before biting.

Adults commonly reach about 12-15 cm legspan. Females are not as long-lived as large terrestrial tarantulas, but stable adults can still live for years. Mature males are slimmer and short lived.

This species is best for keepers who already understand arboreal tarantulas. The care challenge is not aggression; it is balancing humidity with strong ventilation. A sealed wet enclosure is dangerous, while a dry enclosure without water can dehydrate the spider.

Animals sold under purple, yellow-banded, or locality-style labels can differ in appearance, and color alone is not reliable identification. Treat the scientific name as a claim that should be supported by breeder-line records. Do not pair visually similar pinktoes when their origin is uncertain.

During routine work, expect retreat first but prepare for a fast upward or sideways bolt. The spider can jump short distances and should never be serviced over an open floor. A catch cup, long brush, closed room, and unobstructed view are basic equipment, not emergency improvisations.

🌍 Distribution

The World Spider Catalog lists Avicularia juruensis from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil. It is associated with warm humid forest habitat, vegetation, bark spaces, and elevated retreats.

In the terrarium, the useful habitat signals are:

• vertical structure
• a cork tube or bark slab for a web retreat
• strong cross-ventilation
• moderate to high humidity without stale wet air
• fresh water at all times
• secure doors and small ventilation gaps

🌡 Climate across the native range

Monthly climate normals from reviewed GBIF occurrence locations:

Weather data by WorldClim v2.1 · Monthly normals queried by Herpeton Academy from raster values; relative humidity is derived from vapor pressure and mean temperature.

Location references use GBIF.org occurrence data where available; original occurrence records retain their source dataset licenses.

⚖️ Legal status

As checked against current official CITES and EU wildlife-trade references on 2026-06-04, no current CITES listing or specific EU Annex listing was found for Avicularia juruensis. The species is not relevant to the Bern Convention because it is not native to Europe.

Local import, export, sale, transport, and keeping rules may still apply. Keep invoices, breeder details, import or transfer paperwork, and line labels, especially because pinktoe tarantulas have a long history of trade-name confusion.

🤌 Husbandry

House Avicularia juruensis alone. Communal keeping is not appropriate for ordinary care.

Spiderlings should start in small arboreal containers with ventilation on more than one side, a small vertical anchor, and controlled moisture. Tiny slings should not be left in a large display enclosure where food, water, and web placement cannot be monitored.

Adults need a secure vertical enclosure around 30 x 30 x 45 cm. The door should allow water and prey service without tearing open the web tube. Loose lids and wide vents are escape risks.

A good setup includes:

• vertical cork bark or a cork tube
• foliage or twigs as web anchors
• cross-ventilation
• a water dish
• lightly moisture-buffering substrate
• clear access for catch-cup maintenance

The cork should reach near the lid and offer a narrow sheltered face where the spider can join bark, wall, and foliage with silk. Position the door and water dish on the opposite side. A settled web tube is part of the enclosure; destroying it at every refill forces repeated exposure and may cause the spider to choose an inaccessible hinge or lid.

Quarantine a new arrival in a simple enclosure away from other arachnids. Use separate tongs and water equipment, note feeding and waste, and inspect for mites without pulling the spider from its retreat. Imported or poorly documented specimens deserve especially cautious observation.

Plan each rehouse in a larger contained work area. Align the old retreat with the new cork, close gaps around the transfer route, and guide from behind with a soft brush. Never grab, pin, or block a running spider with a hand.

💡 Lighting

No UVB or specialist lighting is required. Normal room light is enough. Plant or display lighting must be gentle and should not heat the upper retreat.

🌡 Heating and temperature

Aim for steady warm room temperatures around 22-27°C, with a mild night drop to 20-23°C. Avoid hot lamps on the top of the enclosure, where the spider is likely to build its retreat.

If extra heat is required, warm the room or shelf and measure near the web tube. Sudden drying at the top of the enclosure is a common arboreal tarantula risk.

💧 Humidity and water

Aim for about 65-80% humidity with excellent airflow. During premolt or very dry weather, a brief local moisture increase can help, but the enclosure should dry enough that condensation and mold do not persist.

Keep fresh water available. Light misting, an occasional overflowed water dish, or a dampened lower corner can support humidity. Do not keep the whole enclosure wet and sealed.

Humidity readings are only useful when interpreted with surfaces and airflow. A lower corner that remains slightly dark while upper bark and glass dry is safer than constant condensation. Mold, wet webbing, a sour smell, or water beading for days indicates excess moisture. In a dry heated room, check the dish more often rather than responding with heavy daily spraying.

🌿 Enclosure and decoration

Build around the upper retreat. Cork, bark, stable twigs, and foliage give the spider places to anchor its web tube. Make sure all pieces are secure before the spider webs them into place.

Avoid heavy loose decor and deep clutter behind background panels. A fast arboreal spider should not be able to disappear into an inaccessible gap during maintenance.

Use about 5-8 cm of firm, unfertilized soil-based or coco/soil substrate to catch waste, cushion a fall, and buffer lower-level moisture. Secure every branch before introduction. Fine mesh can trap claws, while large vent slots can pass a juvenile whose body is much narrower than its legspan.

🪳 Feeding

Feed roaches, crickets, locusts where legal, and other suitable insects. Spiderlings may feed every few days when growing; juveniles and adults usually do well every 7-14 days depending on body condition.

Use prey the spider can subdue safely on vertical surfaces. Remove uneaten prey promptly, especially when the spider is sealed in its web tube or molting. Wait until fangs harden before feeding after a molt.

Offer one appropriately sized item at a time near the retreat entrance so feeding can be confirmed. Reduce frequency when the abdomen is broad and do not try to overcome premolt refusal by adding more insects. Small juveniles may resume feeding within several days of molting; a large adult often needs roughly a week or longer.

🩺 Common problems

Common problems include stale wet air, dehydration from dry airflow without water, escapes during maintenance, prey damaging a molting spider, and web tubes destroyed too often.

A spider sealed in its retreat may be in premolt. Do not tear open the tube unless there is a clear emergency. Check water, ventilation, and temperature first. Weak posture, a shrinking abdomen, injury, or a bad molt needs immediate husbandry review and qualified help where available.

An adult spending a single night exploring is not automatically ill, but repeated floor sitting, loss of grip, or inability to return to the retreat deserves attention. A spider on its back is usually molting and must not be flipped. Falls, leaking hemolymph, severe dehydration, or a genuinely failed molt require minimal handling and advice from an experienced exotics veterinarian where possible.

📌 Conclusion

Avicularia juruensis is a striking arboreal pinktoe for keepers who can provide both humidity and airflow. The most important preparation is a secure vertical enclosure that can be serviced without destroying the web retreat or creating escape opportunities.

📚 Sources and further reading

• World Spider Catalog: Avicularia juruensis
• GBIF species entry for Avicularia juruensis
• Fukushima & Bertani 2017 Avicularia revision
• Tom’s Big Spiders: Avicularia juruensis husbandry notes
• The Tarantula Collective: Avicularia avicularia care
• CITES Appendices — legal-status references checked 2026-06-04
• EU wildlife trade regulations — legal-status references checked 2026-06-04